Do Immigrants Work in Riskier Jobs?

Book excerpt: Recent reports suggest that immigrants are more likely to hold jobs with worse working conditions than U.S.-born workers, perhaps because immigrants work in jobs that â¿¿natives donâ¿¿t want.â¿¿ Despite this widespread view, earlier studies have not found immigrants to be in riskier jobs than natives. This study combines individual-level data from the 2003â¿¿2005 American Community Survey on work-related injuries and fatalities to take a fresh look at whether foreign-born workers are employed in more dangerous jobs. The results indicate that immigrants are in fact more likely to work in risky jobs than U.S.-born workers, partly due to differences in average characteristics, such as immigrantsâ¿¿ lower English language ability and educational attainment. Illus.